| Top 40 Hits of May 1981 |
| 1 |
Adam & The Ants | Stand And Deliver |
| 2 |
Shakin' Stevens | You Drive Me Crazy |
| 3 |
Starsound | Stars On 45 |
| 4 |
Kim Wilde | Chequered Love |
| 5 |
Ennio Morricone | Chi Mai (Theme From 'Life And Times Of David Lloyd George') |
| 6 |
Madness | Grey Day |
| 7 |
Ten Pole Tudor | Swords Of A Thousand Men |
| 8 |
REO Speedwagon | Keep On Loving You |
| 9 |
Tottenham Hotspur FA Cup Final Squad | Ossie's Dream (Spurs are On Their Way To Wembley) |
| 10 |
Bucks Fizz | Making Your Mind Up |
| 11 |
Smokey Robinson | Being With You |
| 12 |
Kim Carnes | Bette Davis Eyes |
| 13 |
Toyah | I Want To Be Free |
| 14 |
Stray Cats | Stray Cat Strut |
| 15 |
Champaign | How 'Bout Us |
| 16 |
Human League | The Sound Of The Crowd |
| 17 |
Jacksons | Can You Feel It |
| 18 |
Sugar Minott | Good Thing Going |
| 19 |
Quincy Jones | Ai No Corrida (I-No-Ko-Ree-Da) |
| 20 |
Keith Marshall | Only Crying |
| 21 |
Sheena Easton | When He Shines |
| 22 |
Nolans | Attention to Me |
| 23 |
Spandau Ballet | Musclebound / Glow |
| 24 |
Teardrop Explodes | Treason (It's Just A Story) |
| 25 |
Undertones | It's Going To Happen |
| 26 |
Eddy Grant | Can't Get Enough Of You |
| 27 |
Jam | Funeral Pyre |
| 28 |
Thin Lizzy | Killers Live EP |
| 29 |
George Harrison | All Those Years Ago |
| 30 |
Barry Manilow | Bermuda Triangle |
| 31 |
Department S | Is Vic There |
| 32 |
Enigma | Ain't No Stopping |
| 33 |
Beat | Drowning / All Out To Get You |
| 34 |
Graham Bonnet | Night Games |
| 35 |
Hazel O'Connor | Will You |
| 36 |
Whitesnake | Don't Break My Heart Again |
| 37 |
UB40 | Don't Let It Pass You By / Don't Slow Down |
| 38 |
Michael Jackson | One Day In Your Life |
| 39 |
Vangelis | Chariots of Fire |
| 40 |
Kate Robbins & Beyond | More Than In Love |
